Miniture Mirrors
by The Strange Writer
Summary: Naruto recieves serious injuries after a battle and is left unable to ever fight again, let alone become Hokage. Gaara is in misery as he fails to win the love of his people. One wants love, one wants reason, and the two boys find it by surpise. With a lost baby on their hands, what will happen now? Will attachment get in the way of doing what right? Narugaa Gaanaru, NOT mpreg!


_**NOTE: Obviously, I don't own NARUTO.**_

_**If I get something wrong or the 'world of Naruto' doesn't seem accurate (e.g. I say they use a phone, when actually there are no phones in NARUTO) it's because I still haven't been able to re-introduce myself to the show. I used to be obsessed with it, so I remember basic facts, but some things may slip. Please, forgive me for this.**_

Having your window of dreams smashed feels the same no matter what way the bullet comes from. They can hand it to you as gentle as they want, but it still hurts. This was how Naruto Uzumaki felt as he crashed into his home, slamming the door behind him in pain and rage. He leaned against the door, his eyes looking up as he finally allowed the pathetic tears to rain down his rosy cheeks. Everything he had always aimed for was dead. He would never follow in his father's footsteps. He'd never be Hokage like he had promised himself all those years.  
It took just one mission, one battle, for his dream to come to an end. At the time, the blonde ninja had seen his eyes flash before his eyes as the 17 year old was sent hurtling head first to the ground. He couldn't remember feeling any pain, just suddenly seeing nothing but black and a hollow whistling in his ears. When he awoke, he was in a hospital bed, feeling dizzy and faint. Granny Tsunade sat on one of side of him, Jiraiya on the other. Jiraiya gave him a brave smile.

"Hey" he murmured out the man who was the closest to a father figure the blonde had ever had "How you feeling?"

Naruto licked his lips; they felt as dry as desert sand. He tried to move, but he couldn't. His torso was held down by something heavy. He made a weak attempt to move his head, but only a few inches each way was possible without a horrid pain.

"W-what's going on?" he asked, shakily turning his head each way, his eyes dancing back and forth between the two.

"Naruto" Tsunade spoke a seriously as she could "You have been badly injured in a mission."

And that was it; the start of the end. The two had done their best to explain what had happened to him, and Naruto had listened as intently as he could. He told them not to worry, and brave spoke that when he was better he'd be back on track to becoming the next Hokage!  
Their long face wore the honest, silent truth. He'd be so lucky if he'd ever be on track to such a thing again.  
For once, luck took a different side from Naruto. The hospital, with Tsunade's orders, had waited until Naruto had fully of a recovered as much as they believed possible. The doctors informed her when it was, but the hokage insisted on another month, in hope he could improve some more. The boy didn't.  
On this day, they informed him that his body was no unfit to ever fight again, and doing such a thing could be deadly.  
His spine was too delicate- he was lucky to still be able walk so well. Any strenuous movements were a health risk.  
All ninja activities would come to an end.

Naruto was broken man before the age of 18.

They did a psychical, leaving him a little dizzy from medication in a hospital bed once again, alone without choice. Hours later, they returned with the bad news. This time, Naruto requested to be left alone. For an hour, he did nothing but lie in the hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling feeling like a cold, lifeless corpse. When someone entered the room almost like a gentle fairy, but with the strong walk of king, he didn't flinch. He did however when someone climbed on to the bed with him, one arm worming across his chest. He turned his head to see the ever so powerful Gaara lying down next to him with deadpanned eyes. Those eyes were so normal for Gaara. He mouth said nothing, his expression said nothing, but his actions, though nothing massive and very unsure, showed his true feelings. A weak embrace, his head close to the blonde, Naruto knew Gaara felt sorrow and pain for him.

At that moment, those boys connected a little more, for what Gaara saw in Naruto was a painting of the red head's own soul. Naruto's broken and bruised, forever damaged body seemed like a model of Gaara's inner self. Their paths were similar, but Naruto had grown to overcome the horrors of his past, or at least to stand above then. Gaara on the hand couldn't do such a thing. His sad memories were like a rope constantly strangling him every second of every minute of every day of every year of his entire life.  
Neither boy spoke. Gaara wriggled closer to Naruto. His fingers trailed the white scars on Naruto's body like a pen. Naruto hated them so much but Gaara just saw the strokes of paint done by an artist. Well, who caused them was no artist actually. But Naruto was a beautiful canvas.  
They'd been quiet for a while, both with closed eyes, before Gaara lightly licked his lips before speaking up at last.

"Want to talk"

"Not really"

"It wasn't a question"

Naruto signed, his head slowly lolling, the pain now dull with time, on to Gaara's shoulder.

"What's the point in talking?"

"I've heard it heals"

"I don't want to talk." Both boys opened their eyes as Naruto spoke "I want to _do_."

"You can't"

"I know"

The room fell silent again. There was no use in talking at all. Naruto nuzzled closer to his friend in search of silent comfort, before falling off to sleep for a short while. Naruto was awoken by a friendly looking nurse with gentle hands; those soft fingers gentle tapping his shoulder to wake him. Gaara had gone. The nurse asked him a few casual questions, receiving no answers but carrying on all the same. Naruto interrupted her for his own required thought-

"Can I leave now?"

The nurse nodded vigorously, and before she could start another sentence, Naruto had grabbed his belongings and ran out the room, pulling on shoes and jackets as he staggered quickly down the hospital hall way. He didn't pause for a second until he was safely hidden away in his empty home. He felt humiliated and lost.

What was left him? Nothing.  
What was the thing to make him strive in life? Nothing.  
What was his future? Nothing.

The doctors said he could die if he pushed himself too far.

Oooooooooooooo00oooooooooooo oO

Gaara was different.  
Gaara was bored.

Gaara was Gaara to be frank.

While his friend had lost all his reasons in life, Gaara carried on striving with his own. The red headed kazekage was determined to earn the love of his people. He had once thought the title alone was almost enough to have them. What a childish belief that was. His people, though loyal, threw likeness upon his feet, but fear had her claws squeezing every single heart of every single one of them, so any true adoration and trust they could have for Gaara was bottled up and locked away.

They feared him.

Gaara didn't want to be feared anymore. Even his own siblings felt a little fear of their baby brother. They knew his power fully well. Naruto, on the other hand, feared him as much as he feared a daisy. The blonde ex-ninja saw the red headed as nothing more than a kitten with tiny filed claws. Gaara wasn't sure if he liked this either.

But it was nice to know someone cared. It was nice to know someone held full trust in you. It was nice to know Naruto Uzumaki…

Maybe the Kakekage had a little crush on the boy, or maybe it was his own adoration bubbling, but Naruto was very precious to Gaara. When the red haired teen heard of his friend's misfortune, he had arranged for him to see his friend. He believed he chose a good day to visit. Naruto had needed some comfort that day. It was certainly a shame Gaara wasn't very good a comforting people. He barely understood the embracing part. What would a hug do? Hugs don't exactly have magic powers do they? Maybe normal people just like hugs…

Gaara didn't understand at all.

_**So… What do you think? Please comment, I'd love to know what you think  
The chapters will last 1,600 - 3,000 words each, with this being an exception. **_


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